Sex toys, aphrodisiacs: Profits rise as condom shops expand range of products

salesman at a Ho Chi Minh City condom shop holds forth on an aphrodisiac made in India to a customer

A man steps into a condom shop in Ho Chi Minh City and, without a murmur, coughs up US$100 for a vibrator.

This is becoming an increasingly common sight in the city, as more condom shops have begun to sell sex toys and aphrodisiacs on the side.

The problem is they are unauthorized, smuggled from overseas through dealers.

“If a shop only sells condoms, it will definitely make losses,” Tuoi Tre quoted the owner of HT shop on Ten Lua Street, Binh Tan District, as saying.

"Condom shops these days sell all kinds of toys."

A man known only as Ngoc, a distributor of condoms and other products, said: “It costs VND20-30 million (US$960-1,440) to open a condom shop. But if you can cleverly add other products, you just need two generous customers a day to earn millions of dongs.”

Tuoi Tre reporters, who went to many condom shops pretending to be looking for jobs, found that some made profits of dozens of million dongs a month.

Most shops mark up the prices of the toys and other stuff by up to seven or eight times.

For instance, they buy Viagra at VND35,000 ($1.68) for a pack of four capsules and sell to customers at VND220,000 ($10).

Pham Kim Binh, chief inspector at the city Department of Health, said aphrodisiacs and erectile dysfunction drugs have to be prescribed by doctors while their distributors must get licenses from the Ministry of Health.

But the lure of massive profits has seen many people open condom shops.

Tuan, the owner of a shop on Pham The Hien Street, District 8, said the shop usually has its doors open only a fraction when there are customers so that they do not worry about being spotted by someone.

Ngoc, the distributor, suggests to shop keepers that they should only display products meant for external use since they attract lighter penalties if detected by authorities.

“But products that have to be consumed can expose the sellers to severe punishment and so should be hidden away,” he said.

The shops mostly get customers between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., with few turning up during the day. Some are in their 60s and 70s.

Truong, another distributor, said most products are smuggled from China and Malaysia, and dealers are not clear about their origins themselves.

“Customers should be lucky to get a good product. I just hope they don’t pose a threat to their life."

A shop owner admitted candidly that most aphrodisiacs for women have little effect. “But the customers just have to put up with it. They can’t make a fuss since it is just embarrassing for them [to be buying the stuff].”

The profits and demand mean the sex toys business is in robust health. The only annoyance is the occasional police bust like the one on May 24 when a truck was caught unloading several vibrators and aphrodisiacs in District 6

Sex Toys profitable market in Vietnam

LookAtVietnam - Sex may be a taboo subject in conservative and family-oriented Vietnam. But it has not stopped the country of 86 million people from being a profitable market for sex toys and aphrodisiacs despite a ban on them.

Let’s talk about sex

Unconvincing censorship of “hot” movie scenes

HCM City’s street kids lack sex education

People looking to spice up their sex life can find a wide variety of toys and drugs being sold by online shopping sites, hawkers in narrow alleys, and even shops.

Everything is available: vibrators, dildos, sex dolls, lubricants, condoms, handcuffs, aphrodisiacs and stimulants to improve the libido.

“Sellers from northern Vietnam smuggle most of the goods from China and supply 90 percent of the sex toys available in the country,” Cuong, an online seller, told Tuoi Tre.

“They are cheap products; those of better quality are brought to Vietnam by air travelers from the US and Europe.”

A small sex doll is sold for VND800,000 (US$43.32) while life-sized items can cost more than VND15 million ($812.34).

But sex toys can also be found at so-called condom shops all over Ho Chi Minh City, with many of them, in fact, making their profits from these items rather than condoms.

“All condom shops in HCMC sell sex toys nowadays,” a shop owner in Go Vap District, said. “They would earn next to nothing if they sell only condoms.”

Sex stimulants also attract curious customers despite their dubious origins and ingredients.

A condom shop in District 1 sells a banned aphrodisiac which the shop owner claimed takes effect on both men and women within just two minutes of consumption.

Hawkers wander around the city selling aphrodisiacs, even entering public buses and vans to sell their products.

The hawkers, usually active from afternoon to midnight, claim their products are imported from China, Malaysia, the US, and Japan and demand prices of up to VND400,000 ($21.66) per tablet.

A large number of tobacco vendors in Cho Lon have joined the lucrative trade of selling aphrodisiacs and sex toys, with some hitting upon the ploy of using prostitutes to market their products.

Sex toy trade rooted from growing demands

But the booming trade in these items reflects a growing demand for them in the country.

Some seek them out in the hope of fixing their problems or improving their performance in the bedroom. Others consider them a way to spice up their romance or fulfill fantasies their partners do not satisfy. Sex toys are also an option for married individuals to avoid cheating on their spouses.

“My wife often faces lots of stress at work,” H., a resident of Go Vap District, said.

“So we often have trouble achieving orgasm. So I buy the drugs for both of us.

“My concern is the drugs are sold illegally and there is no way to control their quality.

“I think we should allow shops to openly sell the products while tightening control over them.”

A District 12 resident, who wished to remain unnamed, said: “Drugs and sex toys that are harmful to humans must be strictly banned. But the trading of sexual aids is not a big deal as long as they are not banned.”

Sex is an important factor in keeping a family happy, Dr Pham Huu Quoc, an inspector at the city’s Health Department, said.

“Sex toys and aphrodisiacs are being sold widely. It means there is an actual demand for them.”

But he said though their widespread use has caused people to have heart attacks, erectile dysfunction, and other health problems, most remain ignorant about the risk of using items of unknown origins.

“The devices and medications must be registered and used according to prescriptions,” he warned.

While sex toys and aphrodisiacs of dubious quality are found everywhere in Vietnam, the government has yet to regulate their trade.

Those caught selling such items are merely fined and their goods are confiscated.

Source: Tuoi Tre